Ok, so I just read the book. I was just wondering how much of it has been confirmed true. Some of the things that happened seemed a bit amazing to me. I can’t think of any single thing at the moment, but it was just the sum of everything that happened.
I found that it sometimes read more like a fictional novel than a true story. But then again, maybe he couldn’t remember every detail, and just described things roughly as he thought it happened. Maybe a little polish here and there.
Also, I did a search on IMDB and found that there had been a movie. Anyone seen it? Would be interesting to see, but I guess it can be hard to find.
I’m not the biggest movie buff ever, but there is definitely a movie, and it remains one of my favorites. It shouldn’t be hard to find. I haven’t looked for it or any other movie online, but I can’t see any reason why it should be out of print or unavailable to rent. I have no idea now it compares to the book, but some of it is pretty riveting stuff. I recommend you have a look for it.
I saw a show on The History Channel about him a while back. He was indeed a prisoner on Devil’s Island but its generally thought that the book (and therefore the movie) is a collection of things which happened to various prisoners while he was imprisoned there, not things that happened to him. He definitely did not escape on a bundle of coconuts. He served his time and was released.
Its similar to Midnight Express. Its what you call an amalgam, a collection of true/semi-true events that happened to different people during the same time/place told as one continuous narrative.
I know that, according The History Channel show, Papillon was regarded with complete disdain by his fellow released prisoners. There were two kinds of convicts on Devil’s Island, repeat petty criminals and violent felons (I forget the French terms). And naturally the felons were regarded as ‘above’ the petty criminals (which Papillon was one, for forgery).
Regardless of any of that, it is a great movie and really shows what a fun place Devil’s Island must have been!
I’m afraid I gave up on the book recently; bought it because I remembered seeing the movie when very young and did remember enjoying it.
Why did I give it up? I had been struggling with the book for several reasons (P’s lack of morality, the old-fashioned style of writing, and to be honest it was just hard-going).
Anyway at one point he tells a story about watching some ants in the jungle and how two “soldier” ants stop and “question” a female worker ant and then kill her and bury her body. This ridiculous piece of anthropomorphism was the final straw for me, it made me disbelieve pretty much every other anecdote, which would have been fine if I was enjoying the book, but as it was…
Sorry, I don’t usually rant, but I hate giving up on any book and Papillon is still buzzing about in my frontal lobe.
The movie has been showing on AMC recently, so I’ve seen bits and pieces of it again. I read the book shortly after the movie came out. Henri Charriere, IIRC, claimed that most of it was true, and that “I didn’t go into that hell with a typewriter”. Critics noted that cliche’d elements like the encounter at the leper colony (where, in the book, one leper leaves a finger on the bowl he serves to Papillon) didn’t help the book’s believability. The leper colony stuff was too good to miss, and it m,orphed into the cigar-smoking scene in the movie.
What do we know definatly IS true about him? Was he a prisoner for 13 years and then released? What about the murder trials? Or guards who saw him etc.?
According to the book he becomes quite well known there.
I’ve seen the movie and loved Papillon, Dustin Hoffman’s character.
Except it’s just Rain Man, only he’s a lot younger.
Pay special attention to him, if you watch the movie. I learned later that “papillon” is butterfly in French… Which always suggests metamorphosis to me.
I just saw the movie. It was pretty good, but I thought things went a bit fast at times. You don’t get much of a feel for how it is to sit in prison, since things happen all the time. Also, it doesn’t explain everything about the situation and escape possibilities that’s discussed in great detail in the book. But I guess that’s what they had to sacrifice to make a movie out of it.